U.S. patent number 5,128,912 [Application Number 07/219,553] was granted by the patent office on 1992-07-07 for apparatus including dual carriages for storing and retrieving information containing discs, and method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Cygnet Systems Incorporated. Invention is credited to Paul Hug, Graham Slater, Bill Umeda, Paul A. Yesnosky.
United States Patent |
5,128,912 |
Hug , et al. |
July 7, 1992 |
Apparatus including dual carriages for storing and retrieving
information containing discs, and method
Abstract
A technique for storing and retrieving information-containing
discs using two independently operated disc transferring carriages
is disclosed herein. The two carraiges are used to transfer discs
between storage compartments forming part of an overall disc and
drive library and one or more disc drives disposed within their own
drive compartments also forming part of the disc and drive library.
In one specific embodiment, the two carriages are moved vertically
and horizontally on separate tracks between two confronting library
arrangements.
Inventors: |
Hug; Paul (Saratoga, CA),
Slater; Graham (Foster City, CA), Umeda; Bill (San Jose,
CA), Yesnosky; Paul A. (Sunnyvale, CA) |
Assignee: |
Cygnet Systems Incorporated
(San Jose, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
22819738 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/219,553 |
Filed: |
July 14, 1988 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
369/30.61;
360/99.02; 360/99.06; G9B/17.054; G9B/27.001 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B
17/225 (20130101); G11B 27/002 (20130101); G11B
2220/20 (20130101); G11B 2220/41 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G11B
27/00 (20060101); G11B 17/22 (20060101); G11B
017/22 (); G11B 005/016 (); G11B 017/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;360/99.02,99.06
;369/34,35,36,37,38,39 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
517613 |
|
Jan 1955 |
|
BE |
|
2210818 |
|
Sep 1973 |
|
DE |
|
910625 |
|
Jun 1946 |
|
FR |
|
56-12416 |
|
Sep 1981 |
|
JP |
|
60-224144 |
|
Nov 1985 |
|
JP |
|
Primary Examiner: Levy; Stuart S.
Assistant Examiner: Glembocki; Christopher R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Flehr, Hohbach, Test, Albritton
& Herbert
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for storing and retrieving information containing
discs, comprising:
(a) a disc and drive library including a plurality of individual
storage compartments for storing information-containing discs and
at least two drive compartments, each containing a disc drive for
storing information on and retrieving information from said
discs;
(b) first carriage means on a first track for transferring an
information-containing disc between any two of said storage
compartments or between a disc drive and any one of said storage
compartments;
(c) second carriage means on a first track separate from said first
carriage means for transferring an information-containing disc
between any two of said storage compartments or between a disc
drive and any one of said storage compartments; and
(d) means for moving said first and second carriage means
independent of each other to transfer information-containing discs
between said storage and drive compartments of said library such
that said first carriage means transfers one disc into or out of
one of said storage or drive compartments while said second
carriage means is simultaneously used to independently transfer a
second disc into or out of a different one of said storage or drive
compartments, said means further being configured for cooperatively
moving said first and second carriage means around each other such
that all of said storage and drive compartments within said library
are accessed by either said first or said second carriage means at
any given time during operation of the apparatus.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for moving
said first and second carriage means includes separate first and
second horizontal track arrangements and first and second means for
supporting said first and second carriage means for movement on
said first and second track arrangements, respectively.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein each of said means for
supporting a given one of said carriage means includes a vertically
extending main support post mounted for movement to and along a
respective one of said track arrangements and means supporting said
given carriage means for movement to and along said post, whereby
each of said carriage means is simultaneously movable along its
track arrangement and up and down its post in order to move between
compartments of said library.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said library
compartments are arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows
vertically aligned on top of one another so as to also define a
plurality of vertical columns, and wherein said first and second
track arrangements are both located in front of said compartments
in parallel relationship with said horizontal rows of compartments,
so that said posts extend parallel with said columns of
compartments.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4 including a second disc and
drive library having a plurality of individual storage compartments
for storing information-containing discs arranged in a plurality of
horizontal rows vertically aligned on top of one another so as to
define a plurality of vertical columns, said second library being
positioned in confronting, parallel relationship with said
first-mentioned library with said first and second track
arrangements, said first and second carriage means, and said first
and second means for supporting said carriage means disposed
between the two libraries.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein each of said carriage
means includes a carriage frame for containing an
information-containing disc and means for pulling said disc into
and pushing it out of the carriage frame through the front end of
the frame, and wherein each of said means for supporting a given
one of said carriage means includes means for rotating the frame of
that carriage means 180.degree. about a vertical axis in order to
place its front end in confronting relationship with either of said
libraries, whereby to transfer an information-containing disc
between that given carriage means and either of said libraries.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein each of said means for
supporting a given one of said carriage means includes means for
rotating the frame of that carriage means 180.degree. about a
horizontal axis in order to be able to alternate the way in which a
disc is placed in a disc drive, whereby either side of a two-sided
information-containing disc can be acted upon by a disc drive
having a single read/write head.
8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein each of said carriage
means includes a disc engaging and disengaging mechanism movable
within its associated frame between the front end of the latter and
its back end in order to pull a disc into and push it out of the
frame.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein at least one of said
storage compartments of at least one of said libraries includes
means for gaining access to that compartment from its back end for
placing an information-containing disc into and removing it from
that compartment outside the library.
10. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said first and second
means for supporting said first and second carriage means each
include means for cooperatively rotating said frames of said first
and second carriage means 90.degree. about a vertical axis to
enable said first and second carriage means to move past each other
as said first and second means for supporting said carriage means
move along said track means.
11. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for moving
said first and second carriage means includes horizontal track
means and first and second means for supporting said first and
second carriage means for movement on said track means.
12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said track means
includes separate first and second horizontal track arrangements
and whereby said first and second means for supporting said first
and second carriage means support said first and second carriage
means on said first and second tracks, respectively.
13. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein each of said means
for supporting a given one of said carriage means includes a
vertically extending main support post mounted for movement to and
along said track means and means supporting said given carriage
means for movement to and along said post, whereby each of said
carriage means is simultaneously movable along its track means and
up and down said post in order to move between compartments of said
library.
14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said library
compartments are arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows
vertically aligned on top of one another so as to define a
plurality of vertical columns, and wherein said track means is
located in front of said compartments in parallel relationship with
said horizontal rows of compartments, so that said posts extend
parallel with said columns of compartments.
15. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said track means
extend horizontally beyond said library and into a maintenance area
horizontally to one side of said library and wherein said moving
means includes means for independently moving each of said carriage
means along said track means and into said maintenance area for
servicing whereby when one carriage means is being maintained, the
other carriage means is able to access all of said compartments of
said library.
16. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said disc and drive
library includes a library arrangement in which at least some of
said library compartments are arranged in a plurality of horizontal
rows vertically aligned on top of one another so as to also define
a plurality of vertical columns.
17. An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said disc and drive
library includes a second library arrangement in which some of said
library components are arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows
vertically aligned on top of one another so as to define a
plurality of columns, said first-mentioned library arrangement and
said second library arrangement being disposed in confronting,
parallel relationship with one another, and wherein said means for
moving said first and second carriage means independent of each
other includes means for moving said carriage means vertically and
horizontally between said library arrangements.
18. An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein each of said
carriage means includes a carriage frame for containing an
information-containing disc and means for pulling a disc into and
pushing it out of the carriage frame through the front end of the
frame, and wherein each of said means for supporting a given one of
said carriage means includes means for rotating the frame of that
carriage means 180.degree. about a vertical axis in order to place
its front end in confronting relationship with either of said
library arrangements, whereby to transfer an information-containing
disc between that given carriage means and either of said library
arrangements.
19. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said first and
second means for supporting said first and second carriage means
each includes means for cooperatively rotating said frames
90.degree. about a vertical axis to enable said first and second
carriage means to move past each other as said means for supporting
said carriage means moves along said tracks.
20. A method of storing and retrieving information-containing
discs, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a disc and drive library including a plurality of
individual storage compartments for storing information-containing
discs and at least two drive compartments, each containing a disc
drive for storing information on and retrieving information from
said discs;
(b) providing first and second independent and separate carriage
arrangement on separate tracks, each of which transfers an
information-containing disc between any two of said storage and
drive compartments included within said library; and
(c) independently operating said first and second carriage
arrangements, for movement around one another if necessary, for
simultaneously and independently transferring a first disc between
any two of said storage and said drive compartments while
transferring a second disc between any two of the other storage and
drive compartments, whereby said first carriage arrangement
transfers said first disc into or out of one of said storage or
drive compartments while said second carriage arrangement is
simultaneously used to independently transfer said second disc into
or out of any other storage or drive compartments.
21. A method according to claim 20 wherein said disc and drive
library includes first and second confronting library arrangements,
each of which has some of said compartments arranged in a plurality
of horizontal rows vertically aligned on top of one another so as
to define a plurality of vertical columns, and wherein said step of
transferring information-containing discs between said compartments
includes the step of transferring said discs between two
compartments which are in one of dais library arrangements or which
are located in different ones of both said arrangements.
22. A method according to claim 21 including the step of
independently moving each of said carriage arrangements
horizontally beyond said library arrangements for servicing in
maintenance areas located to one side of said arrangement such
that, while one carriage arrangement is being services, the other
carriage arrangement is able to access all of said compartments of
said disc drive.
23. A method of storing and retrieving information-containing
discs, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a disc and drive library including a plurality of
individual storage compartments for storing information-containing
discs and at least two drive compartments, each containing a disc
drive for storing information on and retrieving information from
said discs;
(b) providing a first carriage which transfers an
information-containing disc between any two of said storage
compartments or between a disc drive and any one of said storage
compartments;
(c) moving said first carriage along a first track which extends
into a maintenance area beyond said library for transferring a
given disc between compartments of said library;
(d) periodically moving said carriage on said track and into said
maintenance area for servicing therein; and
(e) providing a second carriage on a second track which extends
into said maintenance area for independent operation with said
first carriage, each of which transfers an information-containing
disc between any two of said storage compartments or between a disc
drive and any one of said storage compartments, and each of which
is independently movable into said maintenance area for servicing,
whereby when one of said carriages is being services, the other is
able to access all of said compartments.
24. An apparatus for storing and retrieving information containing
discs, comprising:
(a) a disc and drive library including a plurality of individual
storage compartments for storing information-containing discs and
at least two drive compartments, each containing a disc drive for
storing information on and retrieving information from said
discs;
(b) a first carriage which transfers an information-containing disc
between any two of said storage compartments or between a disc
drive and any one of said storage compartments;
(c) first means for moving said first carriage along a first track
means which extends into said maintenance area beyond said library
for transferring a given disc between compartments of said
library;
(d) first means for periodically moving said first carriage on said
first track and into said maintenance area for servicing
thereon;
(e) a second carriage which transfers an information-containing
disc between any two of said storage compartments or between a disc
drive and any one of said storage compartments;
(f) second means for moving said second carriage along a second
track means which extends into said maintenance area beyond said
library for transferring a given disc between compartments of said
library;
(g) second means for periodically moving said second carriage on
said second track and into said maintenance area for servicing
thereon; and
(h) said first and second carriages providing independent operation
to simultaneously transfer information containing discs between any
two of said storage compartments or between a disc drive and any
one of said storage compartments.
25. An apparatus according to claim 24 including means for
independently and periodically moving said second carriage to one
side of said library along track means extending into a maintenance
area for servicing of said second carriage.
Description
This invention relates generally to techniques for storing and
retrieving information-containing media, and more particularly to a
specifically designed technique which, in a preferred embodiment of
the present invention, uses two separate, independently operated
carriages for transferring information-containing discs between
storage compartments and disc drives forming part of an overall
disc and drive library.
There are many different arrangements for storing and retrieving
information-containing media. Examples of these arrangements or
"jukeboxes", as they are often called, may be found in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,271,489 (RCA); U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,679 (Filenet); and U.S.
Pat. No. 4,527,262 (Manto). In each of these patents, the
particular arrangement illustrated there uses a storage area or
magazine for storing information-containing discs, a disc drive and
some sort of carriage mechanism for transferring discs between the
storage magazine and drive. In each of these arrangements, in order
to transfer a given disc between a specific storage compartment and
a disc drive, a single carriage mechanism is used. Should that
mechanism break down, the entire apparatus becomes inoperative.
Moreover, the overall speed of operation of the apparatus is
limited to the speed at which the carriage mechanism can move
between a given storage compartment and a disc drive.
As will be described in detail hereinafter, applicants have taken
an entirely different approach in which the drawbacks as recited
are reduced. More specifically, applicants have designed an
apparatus for storing and retrieving information-containing discs
in which two independently operated carriage assemblies are used to
transfer information-containing discs between storage compartments
and disc drives forming part of an overall disc and drive library.
It is an object of the present invention to provide such an
apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a dual
carriage disc storage and retrieval apparatus designed in an
uncomplicated and reliable manner.
A more general object of the present invention is to provide a
technique for transferring information-containing discs between
storage compartments and disc drives such that one disc can be
transferred into or out of one storage compartment of a disc drive
while a second disc is being transferred into or out of a different
storage compartment or disc drive or such that two
information-containing discs can be simultaneously transferred
between different pairs of storage compartments and disc
drives.
Another general object of the present invention is to provide a
disc storage and retrieval apparatus which is designed to operate
with less downtime and faster than any of the heretofore available
arrangements.
As will be described in more detail hereinafter, the storage and
retrieval apparatus disclosed herein includes a disc and drive
library including a plurality of individual storage compartments
for storing information-containing discs and at least one and
preferably two or more drive compartments, each containing a disc
drive for storing information on and retrieving information from a
cooperating disc. In accordance with the present invention, this
apparatus also includes first and second separate carriage means,
each of which is designed to transfer an information-containing
disc between any two storage compartments or between a disc drive
and any one of the storage compartments. These two carriage means
are operated to move independent of each other in order to cause
them to transfer information-containing discs between compartments
of the library such that the first carriage means can be used to
transfer one disc into or out of one of the storage or drive
compartments while the second carriage means is used to
independently transfer a second disc into or out of a second one of
the storage or drive compartments.
Thus, while one of the carriage means is, for example, retrieving a
given information-containing disc from a particular storage
compartment for use in a particular disc drive, the other carriage
means can be simultaneously moving another disc out from that
specific disc drive. On the other hand, while one carriage means is
transferring a particular disc between one storage compartment and
a particular disc drive, the other carriage means could be
simultaneously transferring a second disc between a second storage
compartment and a second disc drive. In that way, these operations
can be carried out faster than would be the case if a single
carriage means were used. Moreover, should one of the carriage
means temporarily become inoperative, the entire arrangement is
designed so that the other carriage means can continue its
operation, thereby keeping the entire apparatus on-line.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the disc and
drive library forming part of the present apparatus is made up of
two spaced apart but confronting library arrangements, each of
which has compartments arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows
vertically aligned on top of one another so as to define a
plurality of vertical columns. The two carriage means in this
preferred embodiment are supported for both vertical and horizontal
movement between these two library arrangements on separate
parallel tracks. These tracks preferably extend beyond the
libraries and into a maintenance area so that each carriage means
can be easily brought into the maintenance area for servicing. The
present arrangement and its method of operation will be described
in detail below in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view diagrammatically illustrating an
apparatus for storing and retrieving information-containing discs
designed in accordance with the present invention and including,
specifically, a pair of independently operated carriage
assemblies;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatically depicted top plan view of the
apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3 and 4 diagrammatically illustrate specific operating
features of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a contemplated actual working
embodiment of the apparatus diagrammatically depicted in FIGS. 1
and 2;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG.
5;
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of part of the overall apparatus
shown in FIGS. 5-7 including specifically one of its carriage
assemblies;
FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the carriage assembly shown
in FIG. 8; and
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the carriage assembly shown in FIG.
9;
Turning now to the drawings, wherein like components are designated
by like reference numerals throughout the various figures,
attention is first directed to FIGS. 1 and 2 which, as stated
above, illustrate an apparatus for storing and retrieving
information-containing discs in accordance with the present
invention. This overall apparatus is generally indicated by the
reference numeral 10 and is shown including a pair of disc and
drive libraries 12 and 14. Library 12 is comprised of a plurality
of storage compartments 16 for storing information-containing discs
18 and at least one but preferably more than one drive compartment
20 for storing a disc drive 22. As shown best in FIG. 1,
compartments 16 and 20 are arranged in a plurality of horizontal
rows vertically aligned on top of one another so as to also define
a plurality of vertical columns. In the diagrammatically depicted
embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the library arrangement 12 includes
two drive compartments 20, each of which contains a disc drive 22.
The remaining compartments in this arrangement are disc storage
compartments, at least one of which also serves as a "mail box".
The mail box is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2 at 16' and differs
from the other disc storage compartments in that it has a suitable
opening in its back end, as indicated at 24 for allowing
information storage discs to be placed into the overall system and
removed from it through that compartment, as will be seen
hereinafter. Library arrangement 12 may include one or more such
mail boxes and some may be provided for placing discs into or
removing discs from the library only, as will be seen in the
contemplated actual working embodiment.
Library arrangement 14 may be identical to arrangement 12 to the
extent that it may include similar disc storage compartments,
similar drive compartments containing disc drives and similar mail
boxes. However, the number of these different compartments in each
library arrangement may differ. In fact, in the contemplated
working embodiment, the library arrangement 14 includes only disc
storage compartments. In any event, as best illustrated in FIG. 2,
the two library arrangements are positioned in spaced apart,
parallel confronting relationship to one another with their front
open ends of respective compartments facing each other.
As will be described in more detail hereinafter, overall apparatus
10 is intended to transfer information-containing discs between
disc storage compartments 16 and disc drive 22. In actual practice,
these information-containing discs, which are well known in the
art, are contained within their own individual cartridge housings
and each housing is designed to provide ready access to its disc
therein. For purposes of convenience, in most cases herein,
reference will be made merely to the disc, although it is
contemplated that the disc is contained within a cooperating
cartridge housing. At the same time, it is to be understood that
the present invention is equally applicable for storing and
retrieving other types of media containing information, for
example, tapes. However, for purposes of convenience, the only type
of media to be referred to herein will be information-containing
discs, for example 51/4" magnetic floppy discs. Other discs are
also contemplated, for example, optical discs, hard discs, or the
like.
It is also to be understood that disc drives 22 are conventional or
readily providable devices for storing information onto and
retrieving information from the information-containing discs or
other such media and these devices do not per se form part of the
present invention. They must be at least capable of retrieving
(reading) information contained on information-containing discs 18
and they are preferably capable of storing (writing) information
onto the discs. In addition, while each disc drive may be of the
type which is able to read and write on both sides of the disc
simultaneously, using two read/write heads, in a contemplated
working embodiment each disc drive uses only one read/write head
and is able to read and write on one side of the disc only. Disc
drive units 22 are of that type.
Before going on, in order to more fully understand the operation of
overall apparatus 10, it is important to note that library
arrangements 12 and 14 extend horizontally in what will be referred
to as the X direction and vertically in what will be referred to as
the Y direction. They face one another in the Z direction. In
addition, each of the disc storage compartments 16 is designed to
vertically contain a disc 18 and each drive compartment 20 is
designed to vertically contain a disc drive 22. For purposes of
convenience, the remaining description of apparatus 10 will be
based on this vertical orientation of discs 18 and disc drives 22
within this X, Y, Z coordinate system. It is to be understood,
however, that the present invention is not limited to that
coordinate system or vertically supported discs and disc
drives.
Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, overall apparatus 10 includes
first and second separate carriage assemblies 26 and 28,
respectively, for transferring information-containing discs 18
between storage compartments 16 and disc drives 22. These carriage
assemblies are independently supported for movement between storage
compartments 16 and drive compartments 20 by an overall carriage
support arrangement 30 to be generally described immediately below,
along with carriage assemblies 26 and 28 and to be described in
more detail hereinafter along with carriage assemblies 26 and 28 in
conjunction with FIGS. 5-10. As illustrated best in FIG. 1,
carriage support arrangement 30 includes a first pair of vertically
aligned upper and lower straight tracks 32 and a second pair of
similar tracks 34. Both sets of tracks extend in the X direction
between library arrangements 12 and 14. Tracks 32 support a
vertically extending post 36 for back and forth movement along the
tracks in the X-direction, as indicated by two-way arrow 38. In a
similar manner, a second vertically extending post 40 is supported
for back and forth movement along tracks 34, as indicated by
two-way arrow 42. Carriage assembly 26 is supported by means
generally indicated at 44 for back and forth vertical movement in
the Y-direction along post 36, as indicated by two-way arrow 46. In
a similar manner, assembly 28 is supported by suitable means
generally indicated at 48 for back and forth vertical movement
along post 40, as indicated by two-way arrow 50.
Means 44 and 48 will be described in more detail hereinafter in
conjunction with FIGS. 5-10. For the time being, it suffices to
state that means 44 also supports carriage assembly 26 for rotation
about the vertical axis 52, as indicated by two-way arrow 54 and
about horizontal axis 56 (extending in the Z-direction), as
indicated by two-way arrow 58. In a similar manner, means 48
supports carriage assembly 28 for rotation about a vertical axis
60, as indicated by two-way arrow 62, and for rotation about
horizontal axis 64 (extending in the Z-direction), as indicated by
two-way arrow 66.
As best seen in FIG. 2, tracks 32 and 34 are sufficiently long so
that posts 36 and 40 and their respective carriage assemblies can
be moved from one end of each library arrangement to its opposite
end. As best seen in FIG. 1, the posts 36 and 40 are sufficiently
tall so that each carriage assembly can be moved from the base of
each library arrangement to its top end. Thus, each carriage
assembly ca be located in front of any given storage compartment 16
or drive compartment 20 in either library arrangement 12 or 14. In
addition, for reasons to be discussed hereinafter, each carriage
assembly is rotatable 180.degree. back and forth about its
respective horizontal and vertical axes or it could be made to
rotate 360.degree. in one direction about these axes.
Referring specifically to FIG. 2, carriage assembly 26 is shown
including its own carriage frame 68 for containing a disc 18
therein and a disc engaging and disengaging mechanism 70 mounted
within frame 68 for back and forth movement between the front end
72 of the frame and its back end in order to pull the disc into and
push it out of the frame, as indicated by two-way arrow 74. In a
similar manner, carriage assembly 28 includes a carriage frame 76
and a disc engaging and disengaging mechanism 78 mounted within the
frame for back and forth movement between the frame's front end 80
and its back end, as indicated by two-way arrow 82.
Having structurally described much of overall apparatus generally
and before describing the apparatus in more detail, attention is
directed to the way in which it functions to transfer
information-containing discs between storage compartments 16 and
disc drives 22. To this end, attention is directed to FIGS. 3 and 4
in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2. For purposes of identifying
individual storage, drive and mail box compartments in library
arrangements 12 and 14, the top row of the compartments in each
arrangement, starting at the left end, as viewed in FIG. 3, will be
designated as compartments 1A, 1B, 1C and so on. The compartments
in the second row will be designated as compartments 2A, 2B, and so
on, as shown in FIG. 4; the compartments in the third row will be
designated as 3A, 3B, and so on. In operation, the various storage
compartments are filled with information-containing discs though
the mail boxes, one at a time, as indicated by arrow 90. In that
case, compartment 1I serves as a mail box. When one mail box is
used, carriage assemblies 26 and 28 can be used to transfer discs,
one at a time, from the mail box to the various storage
compartments. If two mail boxes are used, the carriage assemblies
can be operated simultaneously. It is to be understood at the
outset that a readily providable computer and associated computer
software (not shown) is used to control operation of the apparatus
and, hence, knows where each disc is at any given time. Neither the
computer nor its software forms part of the present invention, per
se, and will not be described further herein. It suffices merely to
state that the computer takes the appropriate instructions from its
operator and transfers information-containing discs between the
mail box, disc storage and disc drive compartments in accordance
with the instructions it receives.
Once the various storage compartments are filled, the carriage
assemblies ca be used to transfer the information-containing discs
between those compartments and the disc drives. As an example, an
information-containing disc 18 is shown in FIG. 3 being transferred
from storage compartment 1C in library arrangement 12 to the disc
drive in compartment 1 of library arrangement 14 by means of
carriage assembly 26. To this end, the carriage assembly is first
moved from its previous position to a position immediately in front
of compartment 1C in library arrangement 12 so that the front end
72 of the carriage assembly is directly adjacent to the front end
of the compartment. Once the carriage assembly is in this position,
its disc engaging and disengaging mechanism 70 is moved forward
within the carriage frame 68 in order to pick up the disc in
compartment 1C. After doing so, mechanism 70 is pulled back to its
rearward position, bringing the disc into the carriage frame, as
shown in FIG. 3. The entire carriage assembly and its post 36 (see
FIGS. 1 and 2) are moved to the right, as viewed in FIG. 3, while
at the same time the carriage assembly is rotated 180.degree. about
its vertical axis 52. In this way the carriage assembly can be
placed in front of compartment 1W in library arrangement 14 with
its front end 72 adjacent that compartment. With the carriage
assembly in this latter position, its disc engaging and disengaging
mechanism 70 is used to push the disc into the drive in compartment
1W. Note that the disc drive in that compartment has its read/write
head 92 on the right side of the drive, as viewed in FIG. 3 and
thus, side b of disc 18 will be acted upon by the read/write head.
If the operator wanted to act on side a, frame 68 and the disc in
the carriage assembly would have had to be rotated 180.degree.
about its horizontal axis 56.
For purposes of clarity, the procedure just described was
illustrated in conjunction with FIG. 3 without illustrating
carriage assembly 28. This latter carriage assembly is illustrated
by itself in FIG. 4 as it transfers an information-containing disc
from compartment 2E in library arrangement 12 to a disc drive in
compartment 3R in the same library arrangement. Note that the
carriage assembly moves downward and then to the right, as viewed
in FIG. 4, but does not have to rotate about its vertical axis 60;
since, both compartments are in the same library arrangement.
However, the operator may wish to act on side "a" of the disc which
is initially on its left side in compartment 2E, while the disc
drive in compartment 3R has a single read/write head on its right
side. This means that the carriage frame and disc must be rotated
180.degree. about horizontal axis 64 of the carriage assembly as
the assembly moves into position in front of the disc drive. This
places side "a" of the storage disc adjacent read/write head 94
when the disc is inserted within the drive. The foregoing are two
examples of how carriage assemblies 26 and 28 can be used to
transfer discs between library compartments. In most cases, the
carriage assemblies can be operated simultaneously in order to
carry out commands. There are certain situations where this is not
possible. Specifically, where the post of one carriage assembly is
blocking a particular compartment being addressed by the other
carriage assembly, the latter must wait until the first post moves
out of the way. Also, where only one disc drive is available and
both carriage assemblies have been commanded to address that disc
drive, the carriage assemblies will have to take turns. It should
be noted that the two carriage assemblies 26 and 28 can always pass
one another in the X-direction while extending in the z-direction
(as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) so long as one is above the other in
the y-direction, as shown in FIG. 1. If the two assemblies are at
the same level vertically, to pass each other, they must be
temporarily rotated 90.degree. about their vertical axes 52 and 60
so as to extend in the x-direction. This would also be the case for
movement of the carriage assemblies in the y-direction if they are
at the same horizontal points on tracks 32 nd 34.
Overall apparatus 10 was described above in conjunction with two
libraries 12 and 14 and two carriage assemblies 26 and 28. It is to
be understood that the apparatus could function in accordance with
variations of the present invention using a single library so long
as it includes disc storage compartment (including a mailbox) and
disc drives. The apparatus also contemplates using a single
carriage assembly of the type to be described in more detail
hereinafter in conjunction with FIGS. 5-10, although in a preferred
embodiment two carriage assemblies are used. In this latter regard,
even where two carriage assemblies are used, it may be necessary to
service one of them and it would be desirable to do so without
shutting down the apparatus. To this end, as best illustrated in
FIG. 2, each track 32 and 34 extends beyond libraries 12 and 14
into maintenance areas 93 and 95 so that each carriage assembly and
its associated post can be moved into a respective one of these
areas for servicing. A door illustrated by dotted lines at 97 can
be provided for safety purposes between one end of libraries 12 and
14 and the maintenance areas. The maintenance area 93 and 95 and
door 97 are also shown in FIG. 7 and the means for moving posts 36
and 40 are configured to move them into these areas. Overall
apparatus 10 will be described structurally in more detail in
conjunction with FIGS. 5-10. These details will include the
specific way in which each post is caused to move back and forth
along its track, the way each carriage assembly is caused to move
vertically up and down its post, the way each carriage assembly is
caused to rotate about its horizontal and vertical axes,
respectively, and the way each disc engaging and disengaging
mechanism moves back and forth within its carriage frame in order
to pull a disc into and push it out of the carriage frame. However,
in addition to these specific structural components, the overall
apparatus includes readily providable components that will not be
described including readily providable sensors and limit switches
used to sense and limit movement of the moving components and means
for interfacing these components with the master computer so that
the latter can move the components in the desired manner and know
exactly where the various moving components are at any given
time.
Turning to FIGS. 5-10, attention is directed to the contemplated
working embodiment of apparatus 10. It is to be understood that the
components in this embodiment that correspond with the components
depicted in the diagrammatic illustration of FIGS. 1-4 will be
designated buy like reference numbers. It is also to be understood
that not every component making up apparatus 10 is necessarily
illustrated in FIGS. 5-10 and that of those components that are
illustrated, not all of them will be described herein. Rather, for
purposes of clarity and brevity, only those components necessary to
an understanding of the present invention will be described. In
this regard, much of the description of apparatus 10 has already
been provided in conjunction with FIGS. 1-4.
Turning first to FIGS. 5-7, the overall contemplated working
embodiment of arrangement 10 is shown in front elevational view
(FIG. 5), side elevational view (FIG. 6) and top plan view (FIG.
7). As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the exterior side of library
arrangement 14 is shown including the entry (back) ends of two
groups of mail boxes 100 and 102. The group 100 is provided for
placing information-containing discs into the system and the group
102 is provided for taking them out. In this contemplated
embodiment, the mail boxes, as well as the storage compartments and
the drive compartments are provided as modules, rather than
individually. Thus, mail box groups 100 and 102 are actually
modules that can be installed into and removed from the overall
framework forming part of library arrangement 14. Similar modules
for the storage compartments are shown at 104 and modules for drive
compartments are shown at 106. In some cases, these modules may be
interchangeable. For example, the drive module 106 may be placed
with the storage module 107.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 in conjunction with FIG. 5, attention is
directed to the way in which carriage assembly 28 and its
associated post 40 are moved horizontally (in the X direction) and
the way in which the carriage assembly is moved vertically along
the post (in the Y direction). Movement of the post and carriage
assembly in the X direction is powered by means of reversible motor
108 which is located at the base of the apparatus. As shown best in
FIG. 5, motor 108 drives, directly, a horizontally extending belt
110 which is adjacent to, parallel with and extends the length of
bottom track 34 shown in FIG. 1. This belt is supported by readily
providable means so that its top and bottom sides move back and
forth, as indicated by two-way arrow 112. Motor 108 also indirectly
drives an upper horizontal endless belt 114 which is supported for
the same type of back and forth movement, as indicated by two-way
arrow 116. Endless belt 114 is located adjacent to, parallel with,
and extends the length of upper track 34 shown in FIG. 1 and is
disposed in vertical alignment with endless belt 110. Endless belt
114 is driven by motor 108 through a drive belt 118 which, in turn,
powers a vertically extending belt 120 through suitable coupling
means at one end of belt 120. The other end of endless belt 120 is
coupled by suitable means with one end of endless belt 114 in order
to drive the latter. Post 40 is fixedly connected at its bottom end
to one side of endless belt 110 and is fixedly connected at its top
end to one side of endless belt 114. While the post may be
connected to belts 110 and 114 in this way, without splitting the
belts, these latter belts could be split so that the post can be
connected within the split. Even under these circumstances, these
bolts and the others to be described will be referred to as
"endless" belts. Thus as the sides of the endless belts connected
to post 40 move back and forth in the X direction by motor 108,
they move post 40 with them. Motor 108, which as stated above is a
reversible motor, is controlled by the master computer in order to
move post 40 and therefore carriage assembly 28 in the desired
manner.
Post 36 is moved back and forth in the X direction in the same
manner using a different reversible motor 122 and similar
cooperating endless belts, not all of which are shown in the
figures. However, it is to be understood that motor 122 drives a
lower horizontal endless belt directly and an upper horizontal
endless belt indirectly, in the same manner as motor 108 in order
to move post 36 back and forth in the X direction.
Still referring to FIGS. 5-7, attention is directed to the way in
which carriage assemblies 26 and 28 are moved vertically up and
down their respective posts. Referring specifically to FIG. 5, a
reversible electric motor 126 is used to power carriage assembly 28
up and down its post 40. This motor is coupled to one end of a
vertically extending endless belt 128 through a drive belt 130 so
that the motor can drive this endless belt vertically (in the Y
direction) back and forth, as indicated by two-way arrow 132.
Endless belt 128 extends the length of and moves with post 40 along
with motor 126 and drive belt 130. Carriage assembly 28 is fixedly
connected to one side of endless belt 128 so that as the latter
moves back and forth vertically along post 40, the carriage
assembly moves with it. The carriage assembly 26 is driven in a
similar fashion along post 36 using reversible drive motor 134, as
best seen in FIG. 6. The corresponding drive belt 136 and
vertically extending endless belt 138 are also shown in these
figures. Carriage assembly 26 is connected to one side of this
latter endless belt for back and forth movement with it. Both
motors 126 and 134 are operated by the master computer in the same
way as motors 108 and 122.
Turning now to FIGS. 8-10, attention is directed to the structural
details making up the anticipated working embodiment of carriage
assembly 28. Inasmuch as carriage assemblies 26 and 28 may be
structurally identical, only assembly 28 will be described here.
Moreover, it is to be understood that only those structural details
pertinent to a general understanding of the assembly will be
provided. The remaining details illustrated are not discussed and
may be readily provided by those with ordinary skill in the art in
view of the teachings herein.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, carriage assembly 28 is shown including
its previously recited main frame 76 and opened front end 80. The
previously recited engaging and disengaging mechanism 78 is shown
positioned within main frame 76. This mechanism is mounted for back
and forth movement within the main frame in the z-direction along
spaced-apart and parallel guide rails 150 extending from the back
end of the main frame to its front end within the main frame.
Mechanism 78 is fixedly connected to one side of an endless belt
152 which is disposed between and extends the length of rails 150.
The endless belt 152 is moved back and forth, as indicated by
two-way arrow 154, by means of a reversible electric motor 156
which drives endless belt 152 through a cooperating drive belt 157.
The back and forth movement of endless belt 152 causes disc
engaging and disengaging mechanism 78 to move with it. Motor 156 is
controlled by means of the previously recited master computer to
move mechanism 78 in the desired manner, as will be described
immediately below.
As stated previously, mechanism 78 is designed to pull an
information-containing disc into and push it out of main frame 76
of carriage assembly 28. To this end, the mechanism includes a pair
of grippers 158, each of which is mounted to a cooperating flange
arrangement 160 for pivotal movement about an axis 162 (which
extends into the plane of the paper in FIG. 8). The upper gripper
158 in FIG. 8 is shown in its closed or gripping position by solid
lines and its opened or non-gripping positions by dotted lines.
This gripper and the lower gripper 158 are spring biased in their
opened, non-gripping positions. A pair of linear electromagnetic
solenoids 164 also forming part of the overall mechanism 78 serve
to move the grippers to their gauging positions. More specifically,
as illustrated in FIG. 8, the upper solenoid 164 acts along the
back end of gripper 158 so that when the solenoid is energized it
pushes the back end of the gripper forward, causing the front end
of the gripper to move to its gripping position. This is also true
for the lower solenoid and the lower gripper. When both solenoids
are deenergized, the grippers are allowed to move back to their
biased, non-gripping positions.
With the description of grippers 158 and their associated solenoid
in mind, attention is now directed to the way in which mechanism 78
pulls a disc into and pushes it out of main frame 76 of carriage
assembly 28. To this end, it will be assumed first that the
carriage assembly is in position directly in front of a storage
compartment with a disc 18 in the compartment. FIG. 8 shows such a
disc. Note that the disc, actually its outer cartridge housing
which is generally indicated at 166 includes a pair of outer
grooves 168. With carriage assembly 28 in the position shown in
FIG. 8, motor 156 is used to drive mechanism 78 to its forwardmost
position adjacent front end 80. As it does so, the grippers 158
which initially remain in their nongripping positions, extend over
the front ends of cartridge housing 166 in alignment with grooves
168. At that time, the solenoids 164 are energized, causing the
grippers to move into their gripping positions, thereby gripping
the front ends of the cartridge housing within grooves 168.
Thereafter, the entire mechanism 78 is moved back to its
rearwardmost position, pulling the cartridge housing and the disc
therein into main frame 76, as shown in FIG. 8. Once the disc and
its cartridge housing are within the carriage assembly, the
solenoids 164 can be de-energized. This procedure is reversed to
push the disc end cartridge housing out of the carriage frame and
into either a storage compartment or disc drive.
As indicated previously, carriage assembly 28, specifically its
main frame 76, is supported for rotation about vertical axis 60 and
horizontal axis 64 for the reasons described. Both of the axes are
shown in FIG. 8. Note that main frame 76 is pivotally mounted on a
pivot bracket 170 which in turn is mounted for vertical movement
along post 40. Bracket 170 supports main frame 76 by means of a
vertically extending bearing arrangement which is diagrammatically
indicated by dotted lines at 172. A reversible electric motor 174
forming part of overall carriage assembly 28 drives bearing
assembly 172 back and forth, at least 180.degree. , about axis 60
by means of a drive belt 176. Motor 174, like the other previously
recited motors, is operated by the master computer to rotate main
frame 76 about axis 60 when required.
Main frame 76 is rotated about horizontal axis 64 by means of a
separate and distinct reversible electric motor 178, a cooperating
guide belt 180, and a bearing arrangement (not shown). Motor 178 is
also operated by the master computer to rotate the main frame about
axis 64 when necessary.
It is to be understood that carriage assembly 26 can be identical
to carriage assembly 28, as described above. Therefore, the
structural details of carriage assembly 26 will not be provided
herein.
The foregoing has been a description of overall apparatus 10, both
from the diagrammatic viewpoint (FIGS. 1-4) and from the standpoint
of an actual contemplated embodiment (FIGS. 5-10). As stated
previously, these descriptions did not include all of the
structural details of the apparatus. Some structural details are
shown in the figures but were not described and some are not shown
at all. However, those structural details pertinent to the present
invention have been shown and/or described. With particular regard
to the necessary sensors and limit switches required to move the
various movable components of the apparatus at the right time and
in the right way, these components are readily providable along
with the master computer and associated software in view of the
teachings herein.
* * * * *